Commended for Courage and Fearless Action
Two young men from Vircava Parish – Daniels Ņikitins and Edžus Strods – were invited to a meeting of the Jelgava County Council on 30 January. During the meeting, Deputy Chairwoman of the Council Ilze Vītola expressed her gratitude and deep appreciation to both young men for their courage and fearless action in rescuing their neighbour from a fire. The courageous actions of the two young men did not go unnoticed across Latvia – Daniels and Edžus received an award in the “Rescuers” category at the “Latvian Pride” event.
At the end of 2018, for the 15th year running, the newspaper “Diena” and TV3 organised the “Latvian Pride” campaign to honour people who do more than anyone could ask or expect of them. People who, when faced with a difficult situation, do not stand on the sidelines, but step forward and act to support, rescue, help, fulfil a hope or a quiet dream. This time, the neighbours of the “Roķi” homes in Vircava Parish nominated D. Ņikitins and E. Strods for the campaign as well – because in the autumn of the previous year the young men rescued a helpless elderly neighbour from a fire.
Fourteen-year-old Daniels and seventeen-year-old Edžus prevented a tragedy in September, when a fire broke out in one of the flats in an apartment building inhabited by two pensioners. Returning home from school, Daniels smelled smoke in the street and immediately ran to his mother to tell her what had happened. They rushed to the second floor to find out what was going on – a fire had broken out in the flat, and the wife of the man who was later rescued was trying to put it out herself. Because of his impaired mobility, the neighbour’s husband was unable to escape from the smoke-filled flat. Neither Daniels nor his mother had enough strength to carry the elderly man out of the flat, so Daniels, realising that they could not manage on their own, immediately rushed to get help. In the stairwell he met his cousin Edžus, and the two young men went into the smoke-filled flat. The young men reportedly did not see any open flames, but clouds of smoke obscured the view like fog, soot was flying through the air and everything smelled of smoke. Edžus managed to find the man in the smoke-filled flat and carry him outside. By then, someone had already called an ambulance and the fire brigade. Paramedics examined both young men – they were fine. The neighbour and Daniels’s mother, who had been the first to rush into the flat, were taken to hospital because they had suffered smoke inhalation.
“We are surprised that people around us think we have done something impressive. Taking part in ‘Latvian Pride’ moved us, and now receiving thanks from the local authority – that is really great. Of course, we feel honoured by the respect shown to us, but we believe that anyone would have acted similarly in such a situation. Now, looking back at what happened, we realise that we acted recklessly. At school, during lessons and various activities, we have discussed how to act in extreme situations – initially, one must always think about one’s own safety. However, when you see that people are in trouble, this consideration takes second place,” D. Ņikitins and E. Strods comment, supplementing each other.
“Both young men are, of course, known to the people of the parish. Daniels is in Year 8 at Vircava Secondary School, while Edžus is studying to become an automotive mechanic at Jelgava Technical School. The two young men are relatives – cousins. In everyday life, they are very communicative, helpful and open young people. I heard from teachers at our school that Daniels had not told his classmates or teachers about what had happened at all, because he regarded his actions as self-evident. The boy’s class learned about the incident only through what people around them were saying,” says Rita Borščevska, head of the Vircava Parish Administration.
